Poland has reached an agreement with South Korea on a contract for the production of K2PL tanks with localization, with deliveries set to begin in 2026. The deal includes 180 tanks, an additional 80 support vehicles, technology transfer, the establishment of production facilities, and technical maintenance.
According to Defence24, the deal will cost $6.7 billion — a figure that, according to Polish officials, is significantly lower than the initial offer just a few months ago, thanks to revised terms negotiated during the talks. In other words, this substantial amount is still considered a “discount,” and the price could have been even higher.
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Although plans for this purchase date back to 2022, both the scale and execution timeline are striking. While Polish authorities report that modernization of production facilities is already underway, the initial stage will likely involve only assembly, with gradual deepening of localization.
At the same time, the “rough” price per unit can be estimated at $37 million if calculated for tanks alone, or around $25 million if the support vehicles are included. This is not significantly more expensive compared to recent Leopard 2 contracts, which can reach $32 million per tank — and Poland additionally gains substantial localization benefits.
Despite earlier statements from Polish politicians, previous reports mentioned a contract value of $6.1 billion, which would have meant $34 million per tank. Based on available information, it seems likely that Poland demanded a higher degree of localization and technology transfer, which not only delayed the signing of the agreement but also increased its cost by an estimated $600 million.
This version is supported by earlier plans to manufacture 117 K2PL tanks in South Korea. Now, that number has been reduced to just 3–4 units, and this shift alone may have added the extra $600 million to the final contract value.It’s worth noting that Poland is already operating K2 tanks — though in their South Korean configuration.
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